For a transfer system, a hanging transport apparatus has been proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-192269 (hereinafter “the '269 publication”), for example). In this system, the amount of position adjustment for lifting up and the amount of position adjustment for lowering down are set at each of support tables. When a work (i.e., article) is moved up and down while being hanged, a workhand of the system adjusts the position of the work in a hanging state by lifting up or lowering down the work by the already set position adjustment amount.
According to the above-described system of the '269 publication, it is possible to perform what is called a vertical transfer, for transferring a work between a vehicle and a port provided directly below the traveling path for a traveling apparatus for transportation. However, the system cannot perform what is called a lateral transfer, for transferring a work between a vehicle and a port provided in a right and left lateral direction relative to a traveling apparatus for transportation (i.e., a traveling path). The reason is that even if a laterally moving table for position adjustment in the '269 publication is moved in any ways, it only adjusts offset in the right and left lateral direction of the laterally moving table that faces a port directly below the travelling path.
Here, according to results of a study or an experiment or experiences by the present inventors, assuming the lateral transfer is performed in the system of the '269 publication, if the laterally moving table for position adjustment (hereinafter, referred as “lateral moving table”) moves to the right, for example, in the right and left lateral direction, the lateral moving table and the elevating unit and workhand provided under the table considerably protrudes in the right direction. Depending on the degree of protrusion, the lateral moving table is deflected due to the weight of the elevating unit and the workhand, so that the workhand and the work gripped by the workhand are inclined turning around the traveling path. Especially, when unloading the work (i.e., placing the work), due to the weight of the work, the deflection of the lateral moving table becomes more obvious, and the work is likely to incline considerably. The inclination of the work causes an offset in the transfer position of the work in a lateral transfer. Therefore, when performing the lateral transfer, there is a technical problem that the work cannot be transferred to a desired position, thereby failing a lateral transfer.